Moscow millionaire banks the money and invests in Blues

Garry O'Connor might be frustrated at lining the pockets of Russia's police during his time with Lokomotiv Moscow but the Ferrari and Hummer parked at Birmingham City's training ground suggest his bank balance has not suffered too much. Remarkably, both cars belong to the Birmingham City striker, whose struggle to escape corruption and chaos in the Russian capital is comforted by the knowledge that at the age of 24 he need never work again.

That has been the remarkable reward for his 15-month sojourn in Moscow where Lokomotiv's financial generosity provided incentives that could leave Chelsea's players feeling short-changed. O'Connor, refreshingly engaging despite the eye-catching toys, still smiles about the "ridiculous bonuses" that left him open-mouthed in Moscow. It is little wonder there was only one decision to make when Lokomotiv sought to prise him from Hibernian last year.

"Sure, money was a key factor," said O'Connor, whose salary leapt from £2,000-a-week to around £16,000 tax free. "Tony Mowbray [the then Hibs manager] basically said to me, 'You're my best player and I don't want to let you go but you have to think of your family and your future. If you go there for two or three years, you will never have to worry again in life'. And that's the case now. I have got a little bit of money in the bank, quite a lot of properties and some nice cars.

"The money [with Lokomotiv] was brilliant and the bonuses were absolutely ridiculous. If you win derby games - and there are 14 of those a season, maybe - it was £100,000. To win the cup final was £250,000. It was ridiculous money. I bought the Ferrari with a bonus. I had always wanted one since I was a boy. I've also got the Hummer and my wife has got a nice car. But we want to try and keep our feet on the ground. Money's not everything."

That much has become apparent to O'Connor, who joined Birmingham for £2.75m from Lokomotiv this summer. Last October he failed to join up with the Scotland squad for their Euro 2008 qualifier in Ukraine following victory over France. He was strongly criticised for not making the trip but it later transpired that O'Connor's sister, Kerry, a recovering drug addict, had attempted to commit suicide two weeks earlier. It is the only subject O'Connor refuses to discuss.

His time with Lokomotiv continues to provide surreal memories. He played under four coaches, enjoyed cult status among the supporters, scored the winning goal in the Russian Cup final but spent much of the pre-match build up to games wondering when the players were going to get out of the dressing room.

"There were lots of foreign players and everyone had a translator," he added. "The team-talk used to take about an hour and a half.

"Going to Russia is a massive change in all aspects but especially with the language because not many people speak English. If you go into a shop you have got to try and get through with the little bit of Russian you know. I can do all right speaking Russian now; I can understand what people are saying to me after being there for 15 months. You pick up the same words in your head - especially the swear words - and eventually they stick."

Driving was another experience. "The police will stop you for a random check," said O'Connor, "and say there is something wrong with your paperwork. You have to give them money to get the documents back. If you don't, they take the documents to the police station and, when you drive away, they phone their mate down the road. He'll stop you and ask for your documents and you have nothing so you have to pay. I paid loads of money to the police. It's totally corrupt."

Life at Birmingham should be more sedate even if O'Connor is expecting a challenging first season in the Premier League. He has found a new home in the Midlands - which should see the Ferrari and Hummer moved from the training ground - and is looking forward to "entertaining Birmingham's fans as well as scoring goals". He certainly kept Lokomotiv's supporters happy. "I think that was because I scored against every team they hate," he said with a laugh.

"I scored in the derbies last year and then got the goal in the cup final this year. The fans used to have loads of songs about me and lots of banners.

"They were always mentioning Braveheart and they would have pictures of me wearing [the film's star and director] Mel Gibson's armour. I have got the banners in the house. There would be about 40 of them in the stadium and when I left they sent them to Scotland. They were always giving me gifts." As were the club, it seems.

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